Cutlass Bearing Removal - CD31

[eb1smith]

Here are some pictures of my removal of the cutlass bearing on my CD-31. The bearing is a Blackfish and the fiberglass tube is machined on cutlass bearing side to and I.D. of 1-1/4" and the interior side of an I.D. of 1-1/8" so you have to cut the bearing out.

--Eric



Removing the prop shaft.



Set screws are the dimples, there are four of them.



You can now see the set screw there is a wire that needs to be removed.



Wire removed and now the set screws can be removed and bearing cut out.[/img]

[seadog6532]

We just went through this on Arianna a few days ago. We did not have any set screws but did have the wire. I ground out a lot of glass to find the set screws and had to repair it when through, The boat will go back in the water again today for the second time. It went in 2 days ago but had to be hauled back out because water was coming in between the shaft log and stuffing box hose. On the CD30 the engine is on a V drive and that is the only place for water to come in that requires major work to get to. We had to move the engine forward to get to the clamps. I'll know in about an hour if the leak is fixed.

Mark and Anna of Arianna CD30K #112

[CruiseAlong]

Thanks for the pics. It will come in handy on my CD31 (#45) when the time comes. The "wire" you refer to....is wired through the slots of the screws, around the circumference?
Dana

[eb1smith]

Yes, the wire goes through the slots on the screws and is all the way around. The new version has hex head screws but with the same wiring scenario.

[distand]

Does anyone still have access to the pictures of the cutlass bearing removal that were posted back in 2006. I'll be doing the same on my CD31 and as they say: "a picture is worth a thousand words"

thanks

Don

[eb1smith]

The photos are still on photo bucket. Just take the URL and copy and paste it into your browser. Or I can PM them to you.

--Eric

[distand]

Thanks Eric - I have them now and that helps a lot. Now I can see the set screws. If you don't mind couple more questions:

- Were you able to remove the shaft without cutting it? Can the entrie shaft be removed without removing the rudder?

- Did you cut the bearing out with a hack saw and were you able to avoid scoring the fiberglass sleeve (seems difficult)?

- Did you use a new shaft and if so, where did you purchase it?

[Steve Laume]

When I did the cutlass bearing on Raven, the hardest part was getting the prop off. I had the engine out so I didn't need to remove the shaft flange. I took the whole shaft out through the engine compartment. I do know the the shaft will easily pass by the rudder if you go that way. You just have to remove the prop first. I had the Spartan bronze piece at the stern and it had two set screws holding the cutlass bearing in place. It was a royal pain to get at the clamps on the shaft log hose but the it was easy to remove the bronze piece. I have seem some boats that have all sorts of goop plastered around the thing to fair it in but no one had done that to Raven. There is one bolt and one screw holding it in there once you get the hose and goop off the inside. I also used a hacksaw blade to score the cutlass bearing. I didn't cut all the way through it so there was no chance of messing up the bronze. With the Spartan piece you can take it home and put it in a vise, cut most of the way through and then pry it out of there.

Once I had the shaft out, I took it to a prop shop and asked them what they thought of the thing. I would have bought a new shaft but the guy told me it looked okay. It is always hard to judge how much wear is too much but I felt confident reusing it once he said it looked okay. There was some wear, where the packing rode on it in the stuffing box. He suggested I should change the length of the hose slightly so that it would rest in a different place.

Cape dory liked to just goop mish mash all around the shaft log. I had to chisel some out to get at the hose clamps and then filled any areas that needed it with epoxy and glass fibers.

Like I said before, the hardest part of the whole project was getting the prop off. It probably helped that I had the engine out too, Steve.

[barfwinkle]

"Like I said before, the hardest part of the whole project was getting the prop off."

I'm feeling your pain! Getting that SUCKER off is proving to be a real challenge". Please elaborate on your process.

Fair winds

[Steve Laume]

Lots of PB Blaster and a good bit of patience.

I had tried getting the prop off in a previous haul out and gave up. When it came time to pull the shaft it had to come off. Lots of PB Blaster and a standard three legged wheel puller just made it laugh at me. I took two pieces of 3/8" steel plate and made a puller. First I drilled a 1" + hole in one plate and cut a slot to it so I could slip it over the shaft. The other piece got a smaller hole to index it on the end of the shaft. I kept a nut on the shaft to actually pull against. Three holes in the plate that would clear the hub of the prop allowed me to use good sized bolts to do the pulling. I tightened things down so much that the plates started to bend and left it that way for days. More PB and some mild heat finally made the thing let go.

If I were to make up another one I would probably go with 1/2" plate. If you disconnect the transmission flange you can also tap on the thing to shock it a bit, Steve.

[JWSutcliffe]

One magic boat tool to avoid all the hassles of pullers, etc. - Sawzall. Replacement shaft was about $100.